The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically manufacturing electrical harnesses, and more particularly, to a fully automatic apparatus for manufacturing electrical harnesses including a plurality of wires and one or more multi-contact type connectors attached to the wires.
A contact-type electrical connector includes an open-topped insulating housing in which a plurality of contacts are loaded so as to accommodate a plurality of insulation clad wires, with each contact including a slot in which the wire is pressed such an insulating covering thereof is broken by the sides of the slot so as to allow electrical connection between the wire and the contact. The width of the slot is narrower than an outside diameter of the wire.
In proposed electrical harnesses, insulation clad wires are provided with a contact or contacts at one end or both ends thereof. In another type of electrical harnesses, the wires are provided with one or more contacts at the middle portion(s) thereof, which is commonly called a "through connection".
In, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,261, a semi-automatic or fully automatic apparatus for producing such harnesses of various types has been proposed.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for mass-producing electrical harnesses at high speed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for mass-producing electrical harnesses of various types at reduced costs.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for mass-producing electrical harnesses in which a desired number of wires are loaded in connectors having desired number of poles, and in which the connectors are located at desired intervals.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for mass-producing electrical harnesses in which the electrical connection is secured between the connector and the wires loaded therein.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific embodiment are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
According to the present invention, an apparatus for manufacturing electrical harnesses including wires and electrical connectors comprises a wire feed path extending horizontally and axially of the apparatus, a connector attaching device located adjacent the wire feed path, with the attaching device including a punch and a die whereby the wires are pressed into the connectors. A cutter is located adjacent to the punch and die such that the cutter is operated independently of the punch and die. A wire measuring and feeding device is reciprocally movable along the wire feed path, with the wire measuring and feeding device including an intermittently movable chuck whereby the connected-attached wires are pulled to a desired length. A connector selecting and supplying device for enabling the connectors, having a desired number of poles, to selected from connectors and supplied onto the die. A wire selecting and supplying device includes a chuck for selecting the wires which correspond to the selected connectors and supplies the selected wires to the connector attaching device. The wire selecting and supplying device is adapted to hold the wires fed from reels, with the amount of movement and frequencies of the reciprocal movements of the movable chuck being predetermined as desired. The operation of the cutter is effected only when the movable chuck is at rest, thereby ensuring that various types of harnesses are produced in which the number of poles of the connectors, the number and position thereof and the intervals thereof and determined as desired.